County reducing number of juveniles locked up

Harris County Judge Ed Emmett and other members of the Juvenile Board plan to hold a news conference tomorrow to announce the results of a year-long study of the local juvenile justice system.

Officials are holding off the details until tomorrow, but the study apparently documents progress in reducing the number of locked-up minors, as well pointing out areas that need improvement.

The announcement comes two months after the board replaced the juvenile probation department’s executive director after a 16-year-old allegedly smuggled a loaded handgun into a cell on Nov. 9. Probation department employees later told the Chronicle’s Brian Rogers that the metal detector in the detention center’s booking area had been unplugged for more than three years.